Cy Williams
| Cy Williams | |
|---|---|
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| Outfielder | |
| Born: December 21, 1887 Wadena, Indiana |
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| Died: April 23, 1974 (aged 86) Eagle River, Wisconsin |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| July 18, 1912 for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 22, 1930 for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .292 |
| Home runs | 251 |
| RBI | 1,005 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Frederick "Cy" Williams (December 21, 1887 – April 23, 1974) was an American professional baseball player.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs (1912–17) and Philadelphia Phillies (1918–30).[1] As Major League Baseball emerged from the dead ball era, Williams became one of the most prominent home run hitters in the National League.[2][3][4]
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Baseball career [edit]
Born in Wadena, Indiana, Williams attended Notre Dame where he studied architecture and played football with the legendary Knute Rockne.[2] His hitting prowess caught the attention of the Chicago Cubs who purchased his contract after he graduated from college.[2] Williams made his major league debut with the Cubs on July 18, 1912 at the age of 24.[1] From 1915 to 1927 he was a consistent power hitting center fielder, leading the National League in home runs four times during his career.[1] He was the first National League player to hit 200 career home runs, and is also one of three players born before 1900 to hit 200 homers in his career (Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby are the other two). He was the National League's career home run leader until his record of 251 was surpassed by Rogers Hornsby in 1929.[2]
The Williams Shift, in which defensive players moved to the right side of the playing field, is often associated with Ted Williams, but it was actually first employed against Cy Williams during the 1920s.[3][4] He played in his final major league game on September 22, 1930 at the age of 42.[1] In 1931, Williams served as a player-manager in the minor leagues for the Richmond Byrds of the Eastern League.[5]
Career statistics [edit]
In a nineteen-year major league career, Williams played in 2,002 games, accumulating 1,981 hits in 6,780 at bats for a .292 career batting average along with 251 home runs, 1,005 runs batted in and an on base percentage of .365.[1] He hit over .300 six times in his career. An excellent defensive player, Williams had a .973 career fielding percentage, which was 9 points higher than the league average during his playing career.[1]
Williams is not only the Phillies all-time leader in extra innings grand slams with 2, he holds the major league record for being the oldest player ever to win a home run title, hitting 30 home runs to win the National League home run title in 1927 at 39 years of age. Williams hit for the cycle on August 5, 1927.
Later life [edit]
After retirement he worked as an architect in Three Lakes, Wisconsin.[2] He died there at age 86 in 1974.
See also [edit]
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- Hitting for the cycle
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g "Cy Williams statistics". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Gagnon, Cappy. "The Baseball Biography Project: Cy Williams". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ a b Vass, George (August 1999). "20th Century All-Overlooked Stars". Baseball Digest (Books.Google.com). Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ a b Vass, George (July 2004). "Baseball's Forgotten Stars". Baseball Digest (Books.Google.com). Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Cy Williams minor league statistics". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
External links [edit]
- Career Statistics
- Cy Williams at The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Bio Project
- Bio at BaseballLibrary.com
| Preceded by Gavvy Cravath |
National League Home Run Champion 1916 (with Dave Robertson) |
Succeeded by Gavvy Cravath & Dave Robertson |
| Preceded by Gavvy Cravath |
National League Home Run Champion 1920 |
Succeeded by George Kelly |
| Preceded by Rogers Hornsby |
National League Home Run Champion 1923 |
Succeeded by Jack Fournier |
| Preceded by Hack Wilson |
National League Home Run Champion 1927 (with Hack Wilson) |
Succeeded by Jim Bottomley & Hack Wilson |
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- National League home run champions
- Chicago Cubs players
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- Major League Baseball center fielders
- Baseball players from Indiana
- 1887 births
- 1974 deaths
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball players
- People from Benton County, Indiana
- People from Oneida County, Wisconsin
- Richmond Byrds players
- Minor league baseball managers
